


Somebody to Love

by jewboykahl



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Fluff, Kenny is a simp, Light Angst, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mild Sexual Content, Stan works with animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28571013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jewboykahl/pseuds/jewboykahl
Summary: Kenny went to South Park’s best animal shelter looking for a new family dog, and found he cared much more for the cute employee. Stan went out on a limb and started talking to the adorable guy that was flirting with him at work, but became intimidated by his reputation. At least they both really love dogs.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Craig Tucker, Pete (South Park: Raisins)/Tweek Tweak, Stan Marsh/Kenny McCormick
Comments: 20
Kudos: 27





	1. Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

> god im such ass at making summaries HAHA but anyways thank u kindly for reading i am obsessed w this ship and thanks to my good friends ambercreek95 and thelotusflower for once again showering me with support ilysm

It had been years since the  McCormicks adopted or took in any conventional pets. At  one point Kenny recalled a family of cats claiming his closet for shelter during a particularly chilly winter, and they ended up sticking around for a while. Other than his feline friends, he was the proud parent of an assortment of rats, mice, and two possums over the years. 

Kenny had always been particularly fond of traditionally unwanted animals and happened to be quite good at training them for domesticity. He  wasn’t sure if it could be attributed to his underdog complex or he just genuinely preferred them, but he always maintained a  strong preference for creepy critters. 

Despite this, he was extremely excited to be adopting their first dog. Considering he was twenty years old and still living with his  parents and sister, anything to make his living situation more exciting or joyous was welcome . He also assumed he was absorbing a great deal of secondhand  enthusiasm from his younger sister, who was positively elated as the pair journeyed to an animal  rescue  shelter  in South Park, which was a few towns over . 

“Do you think they’ll have golden retrievers?! I’ve always wanted one!” Karen gushed to cap off thirty straight minutes of rambling about the very topic. Though he found it vaguely annoying, as any older brother would, he was  happy to  hear her raving about something so passionately. 

“Those are  kinda popular, so I doubt it.” Kenny responded, pausing to smother his unfinished cigarette into a chrome ashtray before entering the adoption facility.  He scanned the sign above the white, concrete building, reading  _Animal Friends Rehabilitation and Adoption_ Center in a swirly, purple font. 

Karen swung the door ajar and held it that way for Kenny to slip past her. On entering Kenny first perceived a large, wire cage housing a few small, very young kittens who were all sound asleep on various small blankets. The ceiling was surprisingly large compared to the outside size of the building, granting the space a sanctuary vibe.  There was a long, horseshoe desk where a few employees in matching polos were either shuffling around paperwork or speaking into a landline telephone.  The pair waited for one of the associates to become available as he plunged his hands into the pockets of his jean jacket and continued scrutinizing the space. There were panes of glass that revealed a small portion of another room, and he grinned when he caught a glimpse of an excited tail wagging. 

“Hey there, sorry for your wait,” a male’s voice sounded from behind the counter. He had approached the edge of the desk and was addressing them both with a friendly grin. “Welcome to Animal Friends! How can I help you today?” 

Kenny was beyond glad for his sister’s outgoing personality, because he was left absolutely speechless when his eyes landed on the man who had greeted them. 

Either the world was moving in slow motion or he stared at him for way to long. A quick glance at the ID badge dangling from his Denver Broncos lanyard revealed his name was Stanley—a name Kenny never knew how much he loved until that moment. Stan ley had beguiling pair of large, ocean blue eyes and a full head of jet-black hair that was in an attractive disarray.  The light and dark contrast of the features accentuated one another beautifully but did not distract from the rest of his gorgeously sculpted facial features; he had a  small ,  button nose and pouty, pink lips and a subtly sharp jawline. Kenny felt a lump form in his throat when flicking his eyes down to find  well-defined bicep s peaking out from beneath the  sleeves of his  slightly over-sized, grey uniformed shirt. 

“Hi! I had called earlier about meeting with the dogs and possibly adopting one today!” Karen answered sweetly, side-glancing at  Kenny after she spoke, immediately picking up on the trance he was in. 

“Perfect! I’ve got plenty of little guys just fed and ready to play,” Stanley told them while slipping a few sheets onto a clipboard and procuring a click pen from the desk. 

When Stanley  looked up to say, “Follow me on back!”, was the first that Kenny’s unworthy brown eyes were graced by his dreamy, cobalt stare.  If he had not already had a decent amount of time to recover from the initial shock of how  fucking  _ hot _ he was, Kenny was positive he would have flushed red and died right there. 

Instead (and thankfully so), Kenny flashed him a smile that was somewhere in between his usual flirtatious smirk and a sociable grin.  The  sight of Stan ley ’s quick, shy reply smile  filled him with both more confidence to pursue this instant infatuation and butterflies. 

Karen hung onto every word of a clearly rehearsed spiel Stanley spouted about their foundations. He shared a brief tidbit about the origins of the shelter and what they do on their way through the back corridors of the establishment. They soon reached a room with glass panels instead of a third wall, revealing a spacious room occupied by several dogs and a couple of other employees. Kenny focused primarily on the way the man’s lips moved, imagining they taste as sweet as he seems. 

“Right in here we have a few less recent rescues who’ve been with us for a while either doing some rehabilitation or waiting to be adopted,” Stanley announced as they filed into the room. 

Karen cooed and pouted a lip when she was immediately approached by a medium terrier that was by the door. Though the animal’s left paw was wrapped in bandages, they did not seem to notice or care, putting pressure on it with ease as they sniffed the teenager’s shoestrings. 

Stanley chuckled lightly, “This is Minnie. She was a drop off about five weeks ago—roadside maintenance found her stuck in a muddy hole along the side of the freeway. 

Karen gasped, looking up to Stanley from her crotched position as she scratched behind her fluffy eats tenderly. “Someone just left her there?!” 

“Yeah,” Stanley confirmed sadly. “Unfortunately, there a lot of animals here with similar stories.” 

“Fuck people, man.” Kenny sighed, shaking his head. 

“Kenny!” Karen snapped, sending him a disapproving glare. “You can’t just say that here, dude!” 

“What?! We’re all adults here, right Stanley?” he peered up at the darkhaired man for approval. 

Stanley’s cheeks obtained the slightly tinge of read, making it much more difficult for Kenny to fight the urge to compliment him. He laughed softly, an absolutely musical sound, “Yeah, no worries, dude, I completely agree. You can call me Stan, by the way.” 

Kenny could think of a few more things he wished to call him, but for then he settled for a lazy smirk and a shrug, “See,  Stan knows what he’s  talkin ’ about. The human race deserves to be cussed about.” 

“Whatever, it’s just  _ rude_.” Karen huffed as she stood . 

Kenny rolled his eyes over to _Stan_ , leaving the smirk across his lips, “I’m Kenny. But you can call me Ken.”

Karen huffed under her breath, “Why does he have to do this everywhere we go…” 

Stan remained amused as he gestured to a few larger dogs being tended to by a couple of female employees. “Over here is Luca and Abby, purebred  dobermans . We think they’re around six months!” 

Karen frowned when asking, “Where did they come from?” 

Stan matched her expression.  “Police gave them to us after they found them chained up in a hoarder house. They lived on a farm and were apparently bred there.” 

“Jesus,” Kenny sighed, watching as they happily panted while having their black and brown fur stroked dry. 

One of Stan’s fellow employees batted her eyelashes up to him as they moved passed, tone flirty, “Hey, Stan.” 

“Uh, hey!” He responded quickly as they moved right along. Kenny felt pretty pleased by the casual but detectable rejection. 

Across from the room where the dogs were being groomed or allowed space to walk freely, there were a row of large kennels. Each one was decorated vaguely differently, as if the workers had created a persona for each dog. Stan explained what the were looking at, “There are all of our buddies that are ready to be adopted! Feel free to have a look and once you find  one  you’re interested in we can take them outback for a walk. None of them bite, but do be gentle, as a few are pretty  skiddish .” 

“Thanks!” Karen cheered, striding off to greet the dogs creating varying degrees of whining and barking sounds. 

Kenny hung back where Stan stood, jotting information down onto a clipboard. Where they stood pretty close to one another it was easier to see that Stan was a few inches taller than him, which was not surprising given his generally underwhelming stature.  He watched the other man’s arm muscles clench with each movement of his pen. It was clear that Stan worked out—and Kenny’s mouth watered at the thought of testing his strength. 

“Whatcha writin’?” he decided to ask to distract from the obvious way he was checking Stan out. 

Stan flicked his pretty eyes up from the page, “Getting ready some paperwork for you guys incase you decide to take someone home. Some of it’s really stupid and redundant.” 

“Well thank you,” Kenny drawled,  feeling a surge of pride when he was able to maintain eye contact. “You’re super nice.” 

Kenny took a mental image of the delicious way Stan licked his lips and darted his eyes back down to his clipboard, cheeks becoming slightly rosier.  He chuckled, “Oh, thanks, it’s really not that big of a deal.” 

“Damn, so I’m not special?” Kenny put on a fake frown, relishing in the deepening red coloring Stan’s flawless, porcelain skin. 

“Hey, Romeo, come look at this dog and stop flirting with the poor guy!” Karen beckoned from behind him, irritation laced in her tone. 

Kenny pursed his lips and sighed through his nose, nodding to Stan, “Pardon me.” 

With that, and scanning Stan’s vaguely uncomfortable  expression, he turned on his heels and stalked over to the teenager. She wore her own pleased expression across her freckled face. “You’re welcome.”

Kenny cocked an eyebrow. “For what, being a little shit?” 

“No, for helping you flirt!” She exclaimed in a hushed tone, stealing a glance over at Stan. “He’s totally into you, and now you have something to talk about.” 

He left a narrowed stare on her for a second, debating on whether or not she was a nuisance or a genius. Before he could decide, she cut in again, “Seriously, though, look at this one! ”  Peering into the kennel, the sight of a happy, thin black lab brought Kenny’s brain an immediate rush of serotonin. The animal had lopsided brown eyes and a short snout, big, black nose at the end.  She was jumping up and down excitedly, reacting to the jingling noise Karen’s charm bracelet made when she moved it. She giggled, “She’s so cute and hyper! They call her  Norrie , and her card says she’s only nine months!” 

Norrie whined giddily at the attention she was receiving, so adorable Kenny almost forgot about the even cuter man that had taken them to meet her. That is until Stan slid up beside him and smile at them, hands on his hips, “How are we doing?”

Karen nodded to him, “Great! This one is so  adorable; she likes my bracelet!” 

Stan watched as Karen demonstrated, laughing in that soft, sweet way that made Kenny’s insides melt.  He smirked to himself, not missing the slightly unnecessary closeness of Stan’s being as he replied, “Norrie loves bells and things like that, speak toys, too. Anything that makes sound. Would you like to take her out or keep looking?” 

Karen glanced to her brother and grinned widely, “I mean, I definitely want to take her out, what about you?” 

“Yeah, that’s cool,” Kenny agreed, “you’re the one who gets more say since she’ll be  mostly yours.” 

Karen squealed gleefully as Stan reached into the pocket of his black chinos and for the kennel’s key. She nodded, “You do already have a fair amount of fur babies to think about.” 

“It’s true. I love being a parent.” Kenny quipped, earning Stan’s interest. 

Stan smiled, “You have another dog?” 

“Oh, no,” Kenny chuckled. “I have a possum and two rats.” 

The darkhaired man’s eyes widened, “Really?! I love possums!” 

It was not at all the reaction he was expecting. The nicest response he ever received when people discovered his marsupial companion was  a scrunched nose or surprised eyebrows. He felt a surge of genuine excitement at Stan’s words as he watched him slip into the kennel. 

Kenny and Karen stood side by side, waiting for Stan to wrangle the very excited Norrie into a harness. Through ogling at him, it was clear to see that Stan was extremely comfortable with the animal, and perhaps all animals. While this did not come as a shock considering his profession, it warmed his heart even further. 

“You better get his number.” Karen murmured just as Stan was tracing back through the cage-style door, Norrie tied up and ready to go. 

Kenny sent her an amused smile; absolutely positive he was going to get the guy’s number. The thought popped into his head already, but then it was an absolute mission. 

They followed Stan to the end of the corridor, where glass double-doors lead them to a well-maintained plot of grass. A chilly breeze hit him like a ton of bricks the moment he stepped outside, but he did not allow himself to be distracted from getting as close to Stan as was socially acceptable (maybe just a bit closer). Stan grinned at Karen and turned the leash over to her. “I’ll be right here if you need anything, but feel free to take her around. I  don’t like to hover so that you two can get actually acquainted. 

“Thank you!” the teenager hummed, accepting the  leash and securing it around her wrist. “C’mon, sweetie!” Karen spoke  in a heightened tone to Norrie, who needed little encouragement to set off into a trot. 

Stan eyed Kenny when he did not follow. “You don’t  wanna  walk the dog, Ken?” 

Kenny smiled brightly at the use of the suggested nickname. He screwed his eyes back up to Stan’s angelic face, feeling almost infuriated by how his eyes became even bluer with the natural light of the sun shining down on them. Truly nothing about this man was fair. “Nah, it’s Karen’s thing. Besides, I’d much rather be  talkin ’ to you than my little sister.” 

“Oh, uh… thank you, I think.” Stan replied, stashing his hands in his  pockets and occupying his stare with watching Karen. 

“It’s definitely a compliment,” Kenny assured him, and sent a wink his way when he finally caught his eye. 

Stan chuckled lightly and bit down on his lip, casting his gaze downward. “So, how did you get a possum?” 

“Found him . We live right up backed against the  woods so we get all kinds of critters and meth heads wandering around our house.” Kenny extrapolated, delighted to coax a louder laugh from the man. 

“ That’s pretty epic, dude. Not the meth head part,” Stan remained amused as he continued, “You must be, like, an animal whisperer.” 

Kenny puffed out a breath, “I  dunno about all that, but they seem to like me alright. You’re the one who’s a professional puppy-petter.” 

Stan snorted, “Thanks for dumbing it down for me.” 

“For real, you seem like one of those people that you take ‘em home to meet your family and your own family dog loves ‘em more than you.” Kenny told him, incredibly conscious of how the pair were leaning into one another. He wanted to believe it was more than just a natural reaction to the cold nipping at his exposed arms. 

Stan shook his head, gracing Kenny’s face once again with his gaze. “You got all of that from knowing me for twenty minutes?” 

Kenny nodded assuredly, “ Hell yeah, dude. You look like  you’re  totally in your element. Mr.  Possy would love  ya .” 

“ I don’t know about all  _ that _ , but I do think possums are really sweet and cute. I always did kind of want one.  But, i t took three months and a PowerPoint to finally convince my asshole roommate to let me have a dog,  so that  would definitely be out of the question.”  Stan revealed with a frown. 

“Damn, your man didn’t want you to have your own  pet? Seems pretty cruel,” Kenny responded tactfully, intent on finding out more about this  roommate . 

Stan shook his head, “Oh, he’s not my… I mean, we aren’t together, I’m not—well I mean I am and so is he—he has a boyfriend, who is also an  asshole , but I—” Stan interrupted himself, and Kenny wished he hadn’t. Listening to him ramble about being gay had just about been the highlight of his year. “Anyways,  he’s just a friend, but I agree. He knows how much I love dogs. Not having one for a while was so  fucking weird .” 

“What kind you got?” Kenny inquired, watching Karen entertain Norrie out of the corner of his eye, which he had been doing incrementally as not to overwhelm himself with Stan’s cuteness. 

Stan grinned, “He’s a beagle mix of some kind. I got him from here.” 

“Nice, beagles are so cute,” Kenny replied, nodding at Stan. “You got a picture?” 

“Oh, uh,  yeah, for sure ,” it seemed as though the question caught him completely off guard. Kenny  didn’t know about anyone else, but he certainly wanted to know anything and everything there was to know about the raven-haired beauty. He watched him reach into his front pocket and withdraw his mobile device, punching  in his password quickly and tapping on his camera roll. He located a picture of his canine companion rather quickly, lifting the screen for Kenny to view the adorable face of a small, brown and white dog with a tongue drooping from its mouth and eyes shut, and what he assumed was Stan’s hand on hid head. He was grinning, “His name’s Copper.” 

“Aw, like from the  _ Fox and the Hound _ ?” Kenny questioned, and figured he was correct when he saw the other man’s face light up. 

“Dude, you are, like, the first person who’s gotten that reference!” Stan exclaimed, shutting off his phone and putting it back into his pocket. “I’ve always wanted to name my dog that. Especially since my parents copped out with  Sparky on the family dog’s name.” 

“Oof,” Kenny huffed, chuckling with Stan. They both peered back over to Karen inching closer to where they stood, allowing the skinny, black dog to sniff at the round. “ Norrie’ll be our first family dog if we get her.” 

“You totally should.  She’s the sweetest dog I’ve ever met. I feel kind bad about it, but she’s by far my favorite.” Stan revealed. 

Kenny became disappointed at the loss of almost-contact that occurred when Karen reentered their atmosphere, cheerful expression across her face. “I’m absolutely in love with this dog, Ken. What do you think?” 

“Like I said, pretty much your call,” Kenny repeated the sentiment from earlier, giving Stan side-eyes, “plus, she’s Stan-approved, and I trust his judgement.” 

“Thanks,” Stan laughed as he crotched down to address Norrie. “ How’s that, girl? You  wanna go home with these guys?!” 

As if she knew what he was saying, she barked and hopped up and down a few times. Kenny watched intently as Stan scratched the animal gingerly beside her hind legs in an exact spot that made the her drop to the ground and shake her leg. There was a note of sadness across his face. It was even more apparent how deeply the man felt for the animals in his care. It almost made Kenny say forget it and just steal someone else’s rather than separate Stan from an animal which he had grown attached to. 

It was too late to stop the exchange when Karen took the charge with the adoption process. Kenny was not  surprised, but impressed by how ready she was to cover the expenses on her own with money she had saved up. Clearly getting a pet meant just as much to her  as it did Stan. Kenny told her to keep her money; that he would provide the funds if she filled out the boring paperwork. Sadly, Stan was busy when they were doing so, but he remained determined to obtain his animal-loving crush’s phone number before the trip had come to and end. 

After all the forms were filled and they were taken through a plethora of tips and suggestions regarding care for the animal, Norrie was led out into the lobby by Stan, who maintained a bittersweet aura. “Alright, here is your new family, girl!” 

Karen crotched down to meet her again, giggling happily at the dog’s immediate recollection of her and a wet lick across the face. 

Kenny addressed Stan with another flirty smirk and raised brows, “You know, since Norrie’s your favorite, you should keep in touch so that this isn’t the last you see of her.” 

Stan seemed somewhat shocked by the offering and shifted to face Kenny, who continued, “I mean, if I had your  number I could send you pictures of her and videos and also ask you if you  wanna go out sometime.  Y’know ,” Kenny shrugged, soaking up the return of Stan’s flushed  skin and comically enlarged eyes. “just if we hit it off. Which, I think we already did.” 

“Uh, yeah, that, um,” Stan stammered for a moment before relaxing into a wide, sweet smile. “That sounds really great.” 

“Yeah, it does,” Kenny agreed, tugging out his phone and preparing to take down the numbers Stan recited. 

Karen waited until he was done to address him. “Are you done being gay? I want to take Norrie home and show Trish.” 

Kenny rolled his eyes, “You  gonna call me gay right before you go see your  lil girlfriend?” 

“Yes, yes I am,” Karen quipped, rising to her feet before addressing Stan. “Thanks for all your help today! I’m sure I’ll see you around.” 

With that she turned to leave, guiding the  labador along with her. Kenny shook his head and granted Stan one last  linger stare, “I’ll keep  ya updated.” 

“Looking forward to it.” Stan assured him, bottom lip pulled between his teeth. If only Kenny could run his tongue along those teeth instead of settling for texting the man until God knew when. 

After a final wave and wink was sent Stan’s way and Norrie was settled into the backseat with Karen, he decided he would not wait a moment longer than he desired to. He sent Stan a message: 

** Kenny (2:05p)  **

** Hey,  it’s Kenny from the shelter. U helped me find a dog idk if u remember me **

His heart throbbed in his chest when a mere few moments later his phone dinged. At a stop light, he glanced down to read the response. 

** Stan (2:08p)  **

**It’s kinda hard to forget someone who just left two minutes ago. But I think you’d be kinda hard to forget anyway**


	2. Sheltered Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again to my lovely friends amber and lotus for talkin me through my next chapter!!!! ilysm and thank u for reading/commenting/kudosing!

“For the love of God, Stan, you look fine.” Kyle bemoaned, rubbing his face in frustration.

Stan would have felt more betrayed by his best friend’s abhorrent lack of support if it had not been the third completely different outfit he tried on. The closer the clock ticked to 3:30 P.M. the more nauseous he felt. He pinched his dark eyebrows together, “You guys, this is my life! Kenny’s only seen me in my uniform, I don’t want him to think the way I normally dress is stupid!”

“You need a new wardrobe then.” Craig deadpanned from the spot of the couch beside Kyle, who was reclining against his boyfriend with his back pressed to his chest.

The glare sharpened. “I’m gonna fucking murder you both. I have to leave in five minutes, please pretend you care until then!”

Kyle reared his head to him with a subdued scowl. His red eyebrows raised to feign interest. “I think you should wear the blue flannel and the black jeans.”

“Thank you,” Stan huffed, pivoting to return to his bedroom before quickly turning back to pose the follow up question, “My blink shirt or my Bring Me the Horizon shirt?”

The redhead hummed, “Blink. Less aggressively emo.”

Stan clicked his tongue in agreement and jogged off down the hall. On his way, his cell phone dinged. He glanced at it to view the iMessage notification from Kenny that read **_See u soon x (:_**

In the comfort of solitude, Stan allowed his giddy smile to take over his face. He inadvertently allowed Craig and Kyle a glimpse at the fieldtrip crush he had on Kenny the other day, which consisted of a series of overenthusiastic laughs at a particularly funny message he received. He did not hear the end of that for a full hour.

Something about the guy who hit on him at work was otherworldly. He made Stan feel as if he were back in middle school gushing over his first _real_ crush. Kenny was easily the most interesting person he had ever met, and quite possibly the most attractive; Stan had been desperately attempting to recreate the mental image in the two weeks that had been exchanging text messages incessantly.

Kenny’s appearance was quite unique and absolutely mesmerizing. Stan wondered how it were possible to maintain both a soft and dangerous vibe, but Kenny certainly skirted the unattainable line. Though he stood well below average height, but his confidence and decent posture made this fact complete ignorable (not that Stan did not find it absolutely endearing). He was blessed with a full head of thick, sunshine hair that fell in waves like bright rays. A colony of tiny, brown freckles dusted the creamy skin across the bridge of his nose and beneath his honey brown eyes. Stan thought he would break out into a sweat each time Kenny would swipe his tongue along his lips, the pink muscle wetting his black lip ring and heart-shaped lips.

He had been living absolutely rent free in his head since they met.

Perhaps the most admirable quality of Kenny was his forwardness; Stan never once questioned whether or not his interest was mutual. Kenny was unafraid to dish out compliments and flirtations, each one making his heart slam against his ribcage a bit harsher. Stan had questioned what ever gave him the ambition to behave the way he did, something that genuinely intrigued him as a life-long disaster. The other man merely reiterated the cliché _Life’s too short_ , but with a perverted twist _: Thinking other people are hot is just a part of life, might as well accept it and get my dick wet when I can_.

After throwing on the suggested attire and scrutinizing his appearance in the bathroom mirror to decide that his hair looked decent enough without a hat for _once_ , he grabbed his keys and bid a half-hearted goodbye to his friends that remained enthralled in a horrendously boring documentary together and Copper a quick pat on the head. He was out the door and in his vehicle seconds later, on his way to South Park’s relatively new dog park to meet Kenny and Norrie.

The idea of meeting with Kenny in person both completely flustered and excited him. He was undoubtedly interested in pursuing him as a romantic prospect, but he was just too perfect for his own good—he was worried of embarrassing himself with ineffectively verbal communication just as he had when they first met. The additional presence of one of his favorite animals did add a level of comfortability, however.

Ten minutes later and he was there. He shrugged his khaki Carthartt jacket to combat the chilling Colorado breeze before slipping out of his car and into the crisp air. Fall rendered a few of the trees bare, and the soft earth beneath littered with discolored brown and yellow leaves. The more apparent spruce and pine trees outlining the field and parking lot of the recreational area seemed sturdier, maintaining their emerald needles. The plot of land consisted of a large playground for children including swings and designated toddler equipment, a basketball court, a concrete walking trail, and a rectangular, fenced in dog park. The whole thing was new, attributing to the town being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century and being forced to update their outdated public buildings and equipment.

Stan let out a long breath as he took steps forward to the dog part, throwing glances over his shoulders in attempts to casually locate Kenny. He grew even more nervous when he made it to the animal park and flipped out his iPhone to distract himself while he awaited. Nearly as soon as he clicked on his Bleacher Report app, a familiar whining sound obtained his attention. He dropped his stare to the ground to find an incredibly excited black lab sniffing at his legs and whimpering happily.

“Hey, girl!” Stan exclaimed, falling to a crouch to properly greet his companion. He laughed at the assault of licks against his nose he endured as he scratched Norrie behind the ears.

“Do I get to kiss you like that, too?” The dog’s owner inquired in a voice that Stan did not realize he _missed_ until he heard it again.

He wandered his stare up to find Kenny with a lopsided smirk across his gorgeous face. Kenny was bundled up in an oversized sweatshirt beneath a large, fur-lined jean jacket, fingerless gloves covering his freckled hands. In his left hand was a half-smoked cigarette burning, and Stan watched in awe as he brought it to his lips for a long drag.

Stan reminded himself to chuckle in reply, though the sound came out a bit awkward as it was a solid ten seconds late. He inwardly kicked himself and rose to his feet, forcing himself to come across less nervous. Their eyes briefly connected, and he decided it was not possible to do so, so he cast his stare away. “Uh, maybe later,” he practically wheezed out.

“Jesus Christ,” he scolded himself after Kenny granted him a wink and took a few strides toward the entrance to the dog park. He smothered out the embers of his cigarette on the soles of his boots before tossing the butt into a trash can. The resistance to littering brought a grin to Stan’s lips.

“Thanks for comin’ out to see Norrie,” Kenny began as the pair made their way into the sanctioned off plot of grass for animals. There were three rows of fencing to keep dogs separated, each with a red fire hydrant and various play equipment designed for the animals of varying sizes. “I swear when I told her we’re going to see Stan he bolted right up and started freaking out.”

The thought warmed Stan’s heart. He held open a gate for Kenny and Norrie to pass through. “Thanks for inviting me. This is the first time I’ve gotten to see one of the pups I took care of after they got adopted so it’s really, really cool, and nice of you.”

Kenny nodded, charming smile remaining across his face, “For sure. But you do know I came mostly to hang out with you again, right?”

“Oh, uh—well, yeah, duh, I was just saying,” Stan sputtered, shrugging awkwardly.

The blond bent over beside the excitable lab and gave her sleek fur a few strokes before speaking, “You ready to go play?”

With that, Kenny unchained the panting pup. Norrie immediately took off at a comedic full-speed sprint towards a green, plastic tunnel designed for dogs to wander through. Stan snorted. “I swear sometimes when she’d run like that, I thought she was gonna fall over.”

Kenny laughed, “Right? It doesn’t even look like her hind legs touch the ground.”

“It’s like they fold in like landing gear,”—Kenny laughed again, harder, and it gave Stan a confidence boost to continue—”and the best part is the take off because he butt just _drops_.”

After a few moments of guffawing as they watched the curious, young dog explore the new environment, Kenny turned his head to face him. He asked, “How are you today?”

It seemed like a while since anyone asked him that question. It brought a grin to his lips as he replied vaguely, “I’m okay, thanks. How are you?”

The way Kenny’s eyes shamelessly roamed his face and body filled him with an exhilarating kind of discomfort. It worsened when the blond’s gapped two-front teeth tugged on his dark lip accessory. “Pretty fuckin’ good. Off work, and I get to stare at you in person instead of on Instagram.”

Stan flushed immediately. He was immensely proud of the quick reply he managed despite his insides melting, “I would have done the same, but you only have pictures of your possum and weird memes on your account.”

“Hey,” Kenny began as Stan chuckled. When Stan looked back at him for find a cocked eyebrow, he continued, “Those memes are fucking _hilarious_.”

“They are,” Stan conceded with a shrug, “I’m a big fan of the Pikachu meme as well.”

Kenny snorted as he wrapped his arms around himself. They both looked ahead to keep an eye on Norrie, who was still quickly trotting about. Thankfully, they had been the only ones there aside from a parent and small child occupying the swings several yards away. At least Stan was able to be an embarrassment to the art of flirting without other spectators to judge him along with Kenny as there would have been at a restaurant or something.

The blond remarked, “What can I say? When I’m not workin’ I’m stock piling the perfect meme collection to slowly post for my two-hundred, obligatory followers from high school.”

Stan laughed. It seemed like he did so after every sentence that Kenny spouted—but all were painfully genuine. Sometimes he wished he would say something _un_ funny to even it out. He was also reminded what Kenny does for a living, and it only made his admiration for the man swell. “So you don’t go in tonight?”

Kenny shook his head negatively. “Nope. I tend to be off Sundays and work every other night, but the schedule was different this week.” It was Friday.

“That seems like a lot.” Stan commented with a frown, though he worked six days a week as well (though only half a shift on Saturday mornings).

Kenny shrugged and flicked that enticing, brown stare back up to Stan’s face, “S’not so bad. I used to work 7-2 at a Safeway and then go into the hospital, but then I started having to do some 24-hour shifts.”

Stan shook his head. “Jesus fuck, dude. You’re seriously amazing, I could never do that.”

“Not nearly the only EMT who does it,” the blond replied modestly, then quirked his mouth into a sly smile, “but I am glad you think I’m amazing.”

Stan felt his cheeks burn again and continue to do so when Kenny drew a bit closer, entering his personal bubble with his eyes scanning his face. He spoke sweetly, “You’re so fuckin’ adorable when you blush like that.”

A small sigh escaped him, training his eyes on Kenny’s as he responded in a hushed tone, “Thank you… I’m only blushing because you are adorable always.”

Stan felt far too accomplished when a tinge of pink graced Kenny’s cheekbones. The shorter man bit down on his piercing, quickly and subconsciously taking back his power, “Thank ya. I didn’t mean to look like this, but now I’m glad I do.”

“You’ve got a line for everything, don’t you?” Stan questioned teasingly.

As a result, Kenny’s lazy smirk to spread into a cute beam, dimples indenting his cheeks deeply. Stan’s head was spinning. He said, “I’d hope so. Talking is my one and only talent.”

Stan is both relieved and disappointed when Kenny broke the eye contact when reach into the breast pocket of his light denim jacket for a half-full pack of Marlboro Reds. The blond asked, “You care if I smoke?”

“Oh, no, yeah, it’s cool, dude.” Stan stammered. He took the opportunity to cast his gaze forward, catching the end of Norrie squatting to urinate before springing up again and roaming the space. After a few moments he returned to side-glancing at Kenny, finding him inhaling cigarette smoke oddly very attractive. Perhaps it was the way his lips wrapped around the orange filter, or how he made glittery, purple nail polish look incredibly fashionable. Either way, he could hardly keep his eyes off the man as he took drags and expelled long streams of white smoke.

“You want one?” Kenny asked, still holding the red and white pouch in his free hand.

It had been since high school that Stan had last smoked. He tried it when he had a brief goth phase but quickly found that the habit did not agree with his football career. He supposed since his NFL dreams had shattered long ago, there was no danger in accepting one. “Thanks,” he said, plucking a cigarette from the box that Kenny offered. Stan held it between his lips as Kenny replaced the pack into his pocket and pulled out a short, teal lighter. He held his hand out for the item to be placed in his palm, but instead Kenny set his burning cigarette between his lips and leaned into him. Stan’s eyes watched in awe as he cupped a hand against his cheek to block the wind from the tiny flame. He flicked the lighted and held the blaze to the end for a moment, drawing away when it began to smoke.

The action left Stan even dizzier than the initial drag did. Chemical-ridden smoke invaded his unassuming lungs, but he managed to recover with only a few short coughs. He was thankful for a physical activity to occupy him, as the pounding of his heart and how difficult it was to speak made him feel quite ridiculous. Kenny was just a _person_ , after all—not some sexy robot from the future specifically designed to make him climb the walls.

Though if one of those did exist, Stan was positive it would be no different from the blond standing before him.

“How did Norrie settle in?” he asked after his cigarette had already burned half-way away.

Kenny tapped the filter expertly with his thumb, causing grey ash to flutter to the earth. “Really well. Karen’s a big ole dog lover, so, she’s takin’ real good care of her. She is pretty scared of Mr. Possy, though.”

Stan chuckled, “That doesn’t surprise me, she was always really scared of the smaller dogs at the shelter.”

“Really?” Kenny asked as he dipped down the put out his cigarette. He stashed the butt into his jacket’s pocket. “I wonder why.”

Stan hummed, sucking in a line of smoke before answering, “I’m not sure, really. Those people who brought her in found her chained up in their neighbor’s backyard after they moved didn’t really interact the people, so nobody really knows much information about her beyond that.”

Though Kenny had already been told this about Norrie’s past, he sighed heavily and shook his head. “I can’t imagine doing that to a poor dog.”

“That’s because you aren’t a fucking evil psychopath.” Stan growled, copying what Kenny had done with his cigarette earlier once he was finished, instantly regretting the inevitable smell of smoke that would surely cling to his coat. “Some of the shit I hear and see just worsens my depression.”

“No shit,” Kenny sighed. “I deal with actual human beings in life threatening issues and I’ve lost a couple of people but like… I dunno, man, seeing a dog in that state is like… worse… am I insane?” Stan pursed his lips, and Kenny began chuckling, “Yeah, I am, please disregard that.”

“No, no, I really feel like I get what you mean!” Stan laughed along, eyes falling onto Norrie as she began to trace closer to where they stood beside the black chain link fence. “Like they are just… pure and innocent. They would absolutely never deserve any kind of abuse, whereas maybe a person would… I don’t know, that sounds pretty fucking nihilistic.”

Kenny barked another laugh and rubbing his chin. “It’s fine, being a nihilist in your twenties is pretty much inevitable.”

“Really. If you aren’t, you’re doing it wrong.” Stan chuckled, shaking his head before peering back over at Kenny. He was already staring.

They stood there for a moment, gaping dumbly into one another’s eyes after bonding over how hopeless they found humanity. Stan once again felt like a teenager. Especially when he knees buckled at a declaration that came from Kenny to break the silence: “Your eyes are really fuckin’ pretty.”

“Thanks,” Stan breathed. “So are yours. And so are you.”

Kenny chewed on his smile, eyes rolling between Stan’s eyes and lips. He swore he was leaning in, ready to press their mouths together. His stomach tied in tight knots at the prospect of being kissed by the other male—though he felt completely ready for it.

Instead, Norrie came prancing up to them, ready for attention. The blond averted his attention to the animal and granted the back of her head a scratch. “Havin’ fun?”

Stan released the breath he had unwittingly sucked in. Kenny was going to be the absolute _death_ of him.

“You wanna play with her?” Kenny asked, obtaining Stan’s attention after he had briefly zoned out. He was holding a tennis ball in his hand that he had procured from the deep pocket of his large jacket.

Kenny wore a genuine grin on his lips. Stan felt that his passion for spending time with animals had never been more understood. He took the ball and thanked the blond, then spent a solid fifteen minutes playing fetch with Norrie and laughing with Kenny. While tossing the ball and watching the lab sprint off to retreat it, he learned that Kenny became increasingly hilarious the more you spoke to him and they agreed on essentially any issue or idea, including pointless ones such as pineapple definitely _not_ belonging on pizza and _Wizards of Wavery Place_ being the best Disney channel show from their childhood.

As Norrie’s energy began to run low, Kenny also seemed to grow colder. He was head buried his face in the hem of his sweatshirt, slightly muffling his words. Stan pushed aside his nerves and forced himself to spout the offer he had desired to extend as to not separate from Kenny after only an hour of conversing with him and only _almost_ kissing him once.

“Hey, um… if you like, aren’t busy or anything, like, we could hang out at my place, maybe? If you wanted to… like, no pressure or anything, but Kyle and Craig won’t be there and we can like, I don’t know, get food or something—It’s totally no pressure or anything, but it’s pretty cold so if you wanted to keep hanging out we don’t have to like… be cold… sorry, that was a fucking mess,” Stan sighed when he had finally quit rambling.

“God, you’re so cute,” Kenny replied, smiling graciously at him, showing his endearing gapped teeth. “I’d fuckin’ love to go home with you, Stanley. You got lube?”

Stan rolled his eyes. “Fuck you.”

“Exactly,” Kenny teased with a wink before calling Norrie over to them. The dog obeyed and as he went to work fastening the leash onto her harness he inquired. “You said Kyle and Craig?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry, Kyle’s my roommate. Craig’s his boyfriend.”

Kenny stood, narrowed his eyes. “Craig Tucker?”

Stan reflected his expression. “Yeah… how’d you know?”

“Dude, that’s crazy. Karen and his little sister have been best friends forever. They were in girl scouts together,” Kenny extrapolated as they set off to their cards. “They tried to set me and Craig up when we were in high school. It was the first time I really talked to the guy and he did _not_ fuckin’ like me at all.”

Stan sniggered, “Yeah, he feels the same way about me. We’ve been in the same class since preschool since South Park is so fucking tiny. He didn’t start being nice to me until after we graduated, and he started dating Kyle. Even now, it’s debatable.”

“Certainly sounds like Stretch. What a small world.” Kenny sighed, making Stan smirk at the nickname referring to his unusually tall height.

Kenny’s beat up, 2001 Honda Civic was parked closer, and upon reaching it, they paused. Stan stared at the chipping red paint on the vehicle. “Well, if you wanna drop off the dog and then I can give you my address—”

“Why don’t you just come with me and then I’ll drive you back here when we’re done chillin’?” Kenny proposed, pouting a lip teasingly, “I can’t go a second without seeing your handsome face, Staniel.”

Stan raised an eyebrow. “Really? I ask you to call me _Stan_ and I get Stanley and Staniel?”

Kenny shrugged, swiping his tongue across his lips in a way that made Stan instantly forgive him—even if it had been primarily a joke to begin with. He jested, “Well, I asked you to call me _baby_ , and you’re still only usin’ _Kenny_. So,”

Stan smiled and shook his head. “We’ll get there. Maybe during the drive.”

“You’re coming with me?!” Kenny exclaimed, face lighting up. It was a moment that reminded Stan of the very unique, heart-clenching tight rope of cute and dangerous that Kenny toed.

Stan shrugged as he trekked over to the passenger’s side, Norrie being led toward the back row of seating. “I’d miss your handsome face too much, too.”

He slid into the car before catching Kenny’s reaction. Resting an elbow against the window after buckling himself in, he let a cheesy grin widen his lips in the few moments that he would be out from under Kenny’s scrutiny.

The ride in Kenny’s slightly messy Honda that gave off a strong smell of cigarettes and pine-scented air freshener consisted of listening to Kenny’s _Hot Fuss_ CD (as his car did not have an aux input). Stan was a fan of The Killers anyway, and the mutual interest sparked his desire to browse Kenny’s small collection stored in his glove box; _Dookie_ , _Currents_ , _The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars_ , _Weezer, and Dark Side of the Moon_. He learned that Kenny’s favorite band was Pink Floyd and his little sister had purchased him every CD he owned over the years for special occasions (primarily at thrift stores).

Kenny’s home was a twenty-minute drive away in North Park, settled at the end of the train tracks that ran between the towns. It was a dilapidated, small building, the lawn littered with loose garbage and scrap metal. Stan tried not to focus on that as he awaited his companion’s return from dropping off Norrie, whom he pet nearly the entire way back. On the way to Stan and Kyle’s apartment he gushed about how nice it was to see the dog again and how kind it had been of Kenny to think of it.

By the time they entered the apartment together they had decided on pizza. Stan prepared to place an order by phone after inviting Kenny to have a seat on the leather sofa, for once extremely grateful for Kyle’s cleanliness hyper focus, as the place was immaculate. He asked, “Is cheese okay? I can order pepperoni, I just don’t eat it.”

Kenny lifted an eyebrow. “Are you Jewish, too?”

“What?”

“Y’know, like your friend… Craig’s boyfriend is Jewish, right?”

“Oh,” it suddenly made sense, and Stan ended up feeling a bit stupid. “No, I’m a vegetarian.”

“Ah,” Kenny nodded, grinning. “Of course. Totally fine with me. Maybe I’ll even become a vegetarian so that you like me more.”

Stan grinned in kind before disappearing in the kitchen to place an order by phone. Once done, he pulled the fridge ajar and glanced over their selection of beverages. “You want anything to drink?”

“Surprise me.”

Stan figured that every human being likes water to some extent. He grabbed two bottles and reappeared in the living room, where Kenny was sat on the sofa. He smiled sweetly. “Thank ya kindly.”

“Of course,” Stan replied, setting down his drink and shrugging off his coat. It was then he recalled the discarded cigarette butt left in the pocket. He felt stupid for this and decided to leave it until Kenny was not with him. He then felt stupid for feeling stupid and sat silently hating himself for a moment.

“If I had known we’d be hanging out at your place, I’d’ve worn my lace panties,” Kenny commented facetiously after taking a few sips of his water. He looked far too good doing so.

Stan chuckled. “Dude… why do I feel like you aren’t even kidding?”

“You’ll find out if I am soon enough.” the blond assured with a suggestive wink that send Stan’s insides spiraling again.

Stan’s heartrate picked up again and he dropped his eyes. He absentmindedly rubbed condensation from his water bottle and cleared his throat. “Are you, like… just kidding about all that sexual stuff, though? Like…” he paused again, daring to connect his stare to Kenny’s concerned one. “When you say you want to like… do things with me?”

Kenny took his time answering, though the pleased expression across his face told part of the story. “Why would I be joking?”

His body did not know is it should tense or relax when Kenny slid closer. Stan muttered, “I don’t know… I mean, maybe you’re just a flirty person who just says that stuff but doesn’t actually want me… I don’t know….”

Stan did not have time to figure the rest out before soft fingers cupped his chin and gingerly guided his stare to Kenny’s. The light brown color was equally enticing in the artificial light of his living room as it had been outside. There was something less playful about this smile than his usual, lopsided grin. It was tender and validating. He whispered, “Who the fuck wouldn’t want you?”

Before Stan was again not allotted time to think before warm, soft lips were pressed fully to his. His entirety ignited, satisfied with finally knowing how the cool metal of Kenny’s lip ring would feel against his mouth. He instinctively raised a hand to touch his face and turned his head for easier access.

A few seconds later, Kenny drew back, just enough to gauge Stan’s reaction. When encouraged by a shaky breath and blissful smile, the blond reattached their mouths and moved even closer, thighs pressed against one another’s and one of Kenny’s glove clad hand moving to the nape of Stan’s neck.

Stan felt like he was absolutely on fire. The kiss came as the most pleasant surprise of his life; he had never felt anything remotely as strong as the tension building in his chest as he enjoyed the sweet, tobacco-flavored taste of Kenny’s mouth. Their lips mouth in sync until Kenny deepened the kiss, parting his lips and surging closer.

He did not pay attention to how fast everything about the date itself and the make out session had been escalating—he merely allowed Kenny to steer him. They explored one another’s mouths with fervent desire, teeth and tongue often joining. There would be an occasional pause to chuckle giddily before inevitably reuniting their desperate lips.

They both jumped when a knock on the door sounded, having fallen so hard into their own little world that they forgot about the food they ordered. Kenny pecked the tip of Stan’s nose before rising and going to answer the front door. Stan completely forgot about payment in his amazed and aroused state of mind. He stared ahead like deer caught in headlights, allowing Kenny to cover the cost and retrieve the pie. He did not move until Kenny ever reappeared. He glanced over his shoulder to find he had dropped off their dinner in the kitchen.

Stan pushed himself off the couch and traced into the other room, positive his entire face was beat red. He felt hot—all over. Every inch of his body was sensitive and numb, as if Kenny had flipped a switch and put him into overdrive. It had been a very long time that Stan felt so completely _turned on_ —between his anti-depressant mediation and being pathetically single for years.

Kenny sensed this energy, peering up at him with wide eyes and a knowing smile. “You wanna eat first or you want me to keep provin’ I definitely want you?”

Stan did not respond verbally. For the first time in what felt like years, he allowed his instincts to take over. He lunged forward and entrapped the smaller man’s waist in his arms, dragging him against his being and back into a hungry kiss on the lips. Kenny responded in kind with a short laugh that dispersed his hot breath over Stan’s skin, causing it to feel even hotter.

Stan could not recall the last time he felt so _alive_. Dragging his lips along Kenny’s reminded him that he was capable of feeling something more than just numbness and brief emotional connections to various animals at the shelter. He was suddenly overwhelmed with an onslaught of long forgotten feelings and emotions he had put on hold or suppressed. Kenny felt like the light at the end of the tunnel.

The make out session quickly escalated, and Stan soon found himself pressing Kenny’s back up against the refrigerator, crashing their lips together until they became uncomfortably wet and raw. Stan drew away and resolved to trailing wet, sticky kisses down Kenny’s neck, imagining he was kissing every freckle along the way. He was hyperaware of Kenny’s fingers imbedding in the back of his hair, and the goose grumps left on his own neck from his hot breath fanning across it.

Kenny essentially begged Stan to lose his mind when he began gently nibbling on his exposed earlobe. He let out a quiet, involuntary moan, savoring the feeling as he brushed his lips against the smaller boy’s neck. Soon his jean jacket fell between their feet and there was only a pesky sweatshirt separating Stan from more of his intoxicating skin.

They came up for air in unison, Kenny pressing their foreheads together as they did so. Stan let his eyelids reopen, curious as to what Kenny’s reaction to their sudden explosion of passion would be. Second thoughts started to trickle into his brain, quiet worried that this was happening far too fast, but these thoughts were chucked away by Kenny’s sultry voice, “You’re so fucking hot.”

“Fuck, so are you,” Stan huffed before shutting his eyes and accepting another passionate kiss on the lips. He leaned forward, pressing their bodies incredibly close, and becoming suddenly very cognizant of how hard he was, and how incredible it felt to be pressed against Kenny’s thigh.

“Shit, Stan,” Kenny hummed sensually, driving Stan absolutely _insane_ , especially since as he spoke his hands migrated to his shoulders and gave them a light squeeze. “All that for me?”

“For sure, baby,” he returned with a grin, remembering what Kenny had requested to be called earlier that day. It worked like a charm; Kenny’s half-hooded eyes darkened with lust and he dragged Stan back down onto his lips. As they kissed, Kenny began moving his thigh against Stan’s erection, worsening the ever-growing problem in his jeans. It was then he felt Kenny’s to match, only making everything feel even _hotter_.

“Are you okay with this?” Kenny breathed was his right hand slowly made its way down to Stan’s crotch.

Stan allowed himself a moment to think it through—was he okay with hooking up with a near stranger? Was it a hook up if they had been chatting back and forth for days and they had just been on a pretty successful date? Would he forgive himself for saying no, and this being his sole opportunity to explore the tantalizing details of Kenny’s body?

He decided the answer was a resounding _No_ , and granted Kenny and nod and smile of encouragement. With that Kenny pressed his palm firm to Stan’s dick through the fabric of his trousers, eliciting an immediate, needy whine. Stan reconnected their lips, passion and desire overflowing throughout his body, draining into the depths of his soul.

“Let’s go to my room.” Stan suggested huskily, Kenny’s waist remaining encased in his arms.

Kenny granted him a devilish, insanely sexy grin and agreed, “Guess you get to find out about my panties sooner than you thought.”

_

“It’s a completely illogical phobia, Tweek, just _face_ it.” Michael huffed before a long sip of black, dark roast coffee.

Stan’s paranoid blond friend tossed his arms in the air. “It’s not fucking _illogical_ , Michael, that shit is _terrifying_!”

Stan had only been in Tweek Bros for ten minutes and he had accidentally wrapped himself up in a debate about whether or not Tweek’s sudden fear of sharks and deep water was justifiable. His boyfriend, Pete, had informed them that he had been freaking himself out with random facts and survivor stories of shark attacks ever since they watched _Shark Week_ together—something the goth man deeply regretted at that juncture.

Henrietta chimed in, her black-painted lips twisted downward. “We live in Colorado, blondie. Try finding a body of water big enough for a fish that size, and then give it a reason to stay. It would never happen.”

“See, love? You just have to stay away from the ocean.” Pete assured the pouting Tweek with a loving rub on the back.

Stan merely laughed at the interaction and took a long sip of his vanilla flavored beverage. It had been a while since he graced his friend’s businesses presence, and the pep in his step that being with Kenny had provided him over the past week encouraged him to get out more and be more active. It started with being around his new boyfriend as much as possible.

Tweek sighed deeply and shook his head. “Whatever, let’s just move on, I’m gonna have a panic attack if I have to think about those gnashing teeth having the capacity to rip apart a fucking school bus… Oh, _god_.” He covered his face and widened his eyes. “I can’t do it.”

“Breathe, Tweekers.” Pete coaxed, drawing him into a hug and allowing him to burry his face in his neck.

Michael rolled his eyes and decided to focus on the presence of Stan instead. “So, what’s new with you, Marsh? Still sacrificing puppies?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Stan quipped, shook his head. “I am still at Animal Friends and I’m just… chilling. I’ve started seeing someone.”

Henrietta grunted, which Stan knew was the monotone girl’s version of a coo. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

“It’s a guy this time, actually,” Stan corrected, feeling much less nervous to reveal that bit of information that he thought he would be. Nobody was remotely fazed. “His name’s Kenny, he’s from North Park.”

Henrietta chocked on a drink of coffee, a bit dripping out and down her pale chin. She covered her face and reached for a napkin from the dispenser on one of the two round tables Tweek Bros provided. Stan granted her the bizarre look she deserved, thankful when Michael beat him to the punch: “The fuck is the matter with you?”

“Kenny _fucking_ McCormick?”

Stan’s heart dropped. “Yeah…”

“Are you fucking…” she paused, allowing herself to clear her throat. She scrunched her nose in disgust. “Kenny is a fucking slut. He asked me out while I was a working at the theater, fucked me twice, and then immediately did the same thing to _freaking_ Jessica from the concession stand.”

Stan’s ears reddened and he felt as though he had been punched in the gut. He swallowed. “Well, how long ago was that?”

“ _Last_ year.”

It was so stupid, but the information made him want to _cry_. Perhaps if Kenny had begun courting him somewhere other than _work_ just like Henrietta or if they had not exchanged blow jobs after their first date it would have not hit him so hard.

“Oh…” was all Stan could attribute to the remainder of the conversation. He left swiftly after, intent on wallowing in misery alone.

There was no way Kenny did not posses the same emotional connection that Stan felt for him. They seemed like such an immaculate fit—from being animal lovers, to enjoying similar music, to knowing just how to make one another laugh, to feeling completely unjudged and comfortable no matter what he says. Surely that was mutual.

He became less and less positive as he tortured himself for hours, picturing Kenny flirting with his friend the same way he did with him, kissing her the same way, grinding up on her the same way, _smiling_ at her the same way. He suddenly felt much less motivated to be social yet again.


	3. Falling in Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huge thanks to my love’s ambercreek95 and thelotusflower for helping me finish thing & always being there for me ilysm <3

**Kenny (8:04a)**

**Hey love (: when are u off today?**

**Kenny (12:09p)**

**You ok**

**Stan (6:07p)**

**Sorry, not feeling great today. I’ll text you tomorrow.**

**Kenny (6:15p)**

**Ok sorry feel better**

**Kenny (11:09a)**

**Hey how r u feelin?**

**Kenny (7:45p)**

**Are you ok?**

**Stan (8:34p)**

**Sorry, just still not feeling well. How are you?**

**Kenny (8:38p)**

**Im fine just miss ya**

**Stan (9:12p)**

**Well catch up soon (:**

**Kenny (9:14p)**

**Ok love (:**

**Kenny (2:03p)**

**Hey u wanna chill for a bit when u ge t off? I dont work til 7 tonight**

**Kenny (4:15p)**

**Stan?? Are u mad at me or something**

**Stan (4:30p)**

**Sorry Ken im just busy. Ill text you when Im free**

Kenny had left it like this since Monday and he woke up on Thursday afternoon with no reply from his boyfriend. As he laid in bed and questioned everything he could possibly have done wrong, and for the first time in any of his relationships, he came up completely short. He thought he and Stan were having an amazing time together, were extremely compatible, and shared a heat and genuine, mutual liking for one another.

He propped himself up against his creaking, wooden bedframe, wincing at the cold surface against the bare skin of his shoulders, cell phone in hand. Feeling as though it was a bit early in their relationship to show up unannounced at Stan’s door, he thought of the next best way to get in touch with him (or at least find out what was going on). He flipped over to his friend’s contact information saved in his phone under _Tucker_. He tapped the _call_ option and pressed his the device to his ear.

“Why the hell are you calling me at noon on a Thursday?”

“First of all, hello,” Kenny snorted, continued, “Second of all, I know you aren’t busy. Third of all, what’s so weird to you about that time and day?”

“Usually when you call me it’s at 9P.M. and it’s to ask if I’ll let you drink at the bar for free that night.”

“It’s usually a _No_ , so I thought I’d try you at a different hour.”

“It’s still _No_.”

Kenny rolled his eyes at Craig’s unceasing monotone. “It’s actually not about alcohol at all, believe it or not. I got a kind of weird question.”

“Oh, God.” Craig sighed sardonically from the other end.

“Shut up,” the blond grumbled, staring up at the eggshell ceiling as he fiddled with his lip ring nervously. “Have you seen Stan this week?”

“Yeah, like, every fucking day. I have been meaning to ask you what the fuck you did to him to make him so sulky, but I just figured you humped and dumped him.”

Kenny let out an exasperated groan, letting his hand fall dramatically to his side. “I didn’t do fuckin’ shit. What’s wrong with him? He’s been ghosting me all week.”

Craig’s distinct, unattractive chuckle sounded from the other line. Kenny narrowed his eyes at nothing. “You sound like a fuckin’ gremlin, Tucker. Thank god you don’t laugh that often.”

“It’s just really hilarious to me that someone is ghosting you. Kind of seems like Karma.”

“I’m not that fucking bad!” Kenny exclaimed, shook his head, “Listen, can you just ask him to call me? It’s been a few days. I just need to talk to him.”

“I don’t talk to him.”

“What? You just said you see him every day.”

“I _see_ him. I don’t _talk_ to him.”

“You are seriously the least helpful person on the face of that planet,” the blond groaned, propelling himself forward and dangling his legs off the edge of his mattress. He ran a hand over his face. “Aren’t you dating his best friend? Can’t you ask Kyle?”

Craig sighed, “I guess I can. I’ll text you what he says.”

“Thank you,” Kenny replied, unable to mask the sarcasm from his tone. “I’ll owe ya one.”

“You already owe me a few, don’t get ahead of yourself.”

With that, Craig’s line went dead. Kenny gazed at his phone for a moment and shook his head again. “I hate Craig,” he muttered to himself, burying his face in both hands. “fucking asshole,”

The situation with Stan weighing heavy on his mind, he pushed himself upright and began to prepare for the day. If nothing else, he just wanted to know what was going on; if he somehow fucked up, if Stan was not as interested as he had been, if he had started to see someone else... he just needed _information_. He would mourn the loss in his own way after that, as he did very much like Stan, but the uncertainty was the worst aspect of the unanswered texts and calls.

_

He did not receive an answer from Craig until he was gearing up to leave for his 12-hour night shift at the hospital. He snapped a mask over his face and squinted to read the message.

**Craig (5:49p)**

**Stan found out that ur a slut dude. He’s pretty sure you’re using him and he’s not sure he wants to see you anymore.**

“What?!” Kenny exclaimed verbally, flipping over to Craig’s contact for the second time that day. He gave the other man a call.

“What was unclear about that text?”

“What the fuck do you mean? Who told him I’m a slut?” Kenny ranted after putting the phone on speaker and sliding it into his breast pocket as he searched for a space in the employee lot at the hospital.

Craig scoffed, “Anybody who knows you knows you sleep around a lot, Kenny.”

“Okay? So did you tell him I’m a slut?”

“No, I don’t—hold on. Kyle, who did Stan say—okay but who told him that?”

Kenny listened to half of a conversation impatiently as he whipped into a spot and put his car into park. A quick glance at the clock on his dash told him he had seven more minutes until his shift began. His heart sank when Craig finally answered.

“Apparently Henrietta told him you had a threesome with her and her coworker—what? Then what did you mean… I thought you that meant they all slept—oh my god, why don’t you just talk to him?”

“What?” Kenny inquired, utterly bemused.

“I’m putting Kyle on the phone because apparently I’m explaining this incorrectly.”

“Hey, Kenny,” the somewhat familiar voice of Craig’s boyfriend sounded from the other line. It had only been a few times that he had conversed with Kyle, but each interaction had been very pleasant and/or humorous. “I don’t know how true this is, obviously, but this is what Stan told me: Henrietta told him that you asked her out while she was working at the movie theatre, slept with her, and then immediately went for her coworker and slept with her, too.”

“Dude, okay—yeah, it’s kinda true but the way it was presented made it seem a lot worse than it actually was. … Why does Stan care about all this anyways?”

Kyle released a breathy sigh, “Stan’s really sensitive, man. He gets worked up about things really easy and he gets his feelings hurt even easier. He probably thinks you’re just gonna drop him soon, especially since you guys met at his work. He wants to feel special.”

Kenny wetted his lips and nodded. “Thanks, Kyle. I’ll let you guys go.”

With that, Kenny hung up and stared out of the front of his car. He wasn’t sure how to feel—the whole thing seemed so stupid, but he did not know the full scope of Stan’s feelings. Frustration for the fact that Stan did not trust him based on what someone he no longer knew had to say welled inside of him, but the conflicting guilt and shame simmered him down.

There was nothing he could do about it while riding around in an emergency transit vehicle for twelve hours, however; Kenny tried to put the whole ordeal out of his mind until at least six in the morning, when he would drive home and decide on how to handle the situation.

_

It was a slow day at work with hardly anyone filing in or out to meet with the animals. Plagued by boredom and the looming disappointment of his decaying relationship, Stan thought about asking his supervisor to leave early. He had a whopping five hours left on his shift, but he had a feeling it would not be a productive period of time.

He has not been able to stop thinking about Kenny all week—though he failed repeatedly to figure out what he wanted to say to him. It was difficult enough navigating a brand-new relationship without having to figure out how to address your new boyfriend’s promiscuity and whether or not he planned on sticking with Stan long term. The whole thing made him exceedingly nauseous, and he tended to avoid situations that may trigger his unfortunate emotional vomiting reaction.

He also decided he would be absolutely devastated if Kenny were to ditch him. He realized that ignoring him was pretty counter intuitive to not wanting to be ditched, but he had spiraled too far at that point. It was Friday, and Kenny had stopped asking if he was okay on Monday.

Stan felt like a walking disaster.

“Hey, Stan,” a coworker’s voice cut through his self-loathing inner monologue. He peered up from the feeding time chart he was filling out with raised eyebrows that encouraged her to continue. “Some guy's out front asking for you.”

Confusion crossed Stan’s face as he set down his pen and traced after the girl who had dipped back out into the lobby. As soon as he pulled the door ajar that lead to the entrance of the shelter, his heart dropped. Kenny was standing beside the counter, looking utterly exhausted and perfect in his black uniform, stethoscope still draped around his neck. His sunshine curls were sticking out from underneath a grey knit beanie.

Looking as if he had seen a ghost, Stan approached him and cleared his throat. “Uh, hey, Kenny,”

“Hey, stud,” Kenny quipped, lingering his pretty, brown stare over Stan’s face. “Gotta minute?”

“Uh, yeah, just let me…” Stan trailed off, eyeing the welcome center desk for his supervisor. When he located her at the other end, he strode over to her and cleared his throat. “Hey, uh… do you mind if I take a quick break?”

“Yeah, that’s fine, honey,” she responded absentmindedly.

The nervous, darkhaired man nodded and quickly trekked over to the coat rack to retrieved his thick, winter jacket. He shrugged it on, took in a deep breath, and waltzed back over to Kenny. “We can go outside if you want?”

“Sounds good.” Kenny agreed, and though Stan avoided eye contact, he was sure he was either wearing an unrecognizably annoyed expression or his signature, lopsided smile.

The pair slipped out of the glass front door together. Outside was freezing, rendering Stan even more uncomfortable. After a few moments of tracing down the concrete path beside the establishment, he finally allowed himself to peer over at Kenny. His heart fluttered at the sight of him, and at the realization that he very much missed him.

“So… you’ve been avoiding me.” Kenny stated the obvious after meeting Stan’s eyes.

Stan’s heart threatened to burst out of his chest. The declaration was enough to force his stare away. “I, uh… It’s just been a weird… Week…”

Kenny made a sound that resembled stifling a laugh. “Yeah, well. Wanna tell me what’s going on?”

Stan faltered again. He shoved his hands into his pockets and huffed. “I’m just… I got worried about us…”

“Because of what Henrietta told you?” Kenny filled in the blanks.

Stan stopped in his tracks and turned his body to face Kenny. The bright sun blared through the atmosphere and made him squint. Kenny’s freckled face was illuminated beautifully by the light. His words caught in his throat again, leaving him completely speechless for a few reasons.

Kenny sensed his struggle and continued the conversation. “Stan, that was a while ago, okay? It barely meant anything to me then, and it sure as shit doesn’t mean anything to me now.”

“See, that’s the problem, Kenny,” Stan found his voice, though it remained unsteady. “It just worries me because you met Henrietta at her job and slept with her and apparently some other girl from the same place right after.”

Kenny scoffed, looking away for a moment and sucking in a breath. “Well, if you really want to know, I did fuck both of those girls, but it was, like, six months apart? And Henrietta wouldn’t let me fuck her unless I was wearing a mask. She’s kinky as hell. Which is okay with me, I just couldn’t breathe. And I told her that, it’s not like I just never talked to her again… and the other girl stopped talking to _me_.”

Stan fell silent again and wetted his lips. He began to apologize, but Kenny interrupted him. “But even if it happened exactly like you thought it did, what does that matter? What does that change about us?”

“I don’t know, Kenny, it’s just a lot! It’s a lot to live up to, okay? First of all, I’m not a girl, and I’m not as like… good with that kind of stuff and I’m obviously pretty fucked up if I didn’t even have the balls to talk to you about this and the fact that you’re so experienced and I just don’t want to be someone you sleep with a few times and then leave to wish I would have done something more to impress you and make you want to stay with me.”

Kenny paused, scanning his eyes over Stan’s face. His expression was utterly unreadable. Stan’s stomach felt like it was full of rocks. He regretted everything he had ever said and done.

When Kenny’s face finally shifted into a warm, slightly amused smile, Stan felt even more terrified. “Stan… you’re crazy if you think I’m not that into you. I mean, shit, haven’t you ever looked in the mirror?”

Stan wanted to disagree verbally, but something about Kenny left him perpetually tongue tied. Instead, he blushed and hung his head and muttered, “I’m sorry, I know I sound neurotic and you probably don’t want anything to do with me, I just feel… like you could do better and you will eventually so why even bother?”

Another short pause befell the pair before soft hands rose to cup the sides of Stan’s face. Kenny angled his chin in his direction, urging him to make eye contact. Those gorgeous honey eyes glistened with something dangerous and sweet. “You want me to prove how much I like you? How serious I wanna be about you?”

Stan swallowed, rose an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“Yes or no, Staniel.” Kenny teased with a mischievous smirk.

“Um… yes?”

“C’mon, then,” Kenny beckoned him, moving to grab his wrist and lead him back inside the animal shelter. Stan’s heart palpitated with uncertainty and excitement. Kenny paused, “Are you, like… out?”

“Out? Like… do they know I like dudes?”

“Yeah,”

“I think so… Why?”

“Okay, good.”

“Kenny, _why_ —"

There was no answer until they were reentering the establishment. No eyes peered up to find them until Kenny cleared his throat loudly and announced. “Excuse me, angelic puppy savers, may I have your attention for one quick moment?”

Just because the universe absolutely despised him, nearly everyone on shift happened to be lingering around the front desk. Six different pairs of eyes confusedly landed on the small blond in the front of the shelter—even the faint sounds of the dogs howling seemed to quiet. Stan became extremely red and rigid, and whispered sharply, “What the hell are you doing?”

Kenny answered with only a wink, and continued to spout loudly, “I would just like to make everyone aware of my unwavering admiration for Stanley Marsh, who if you did not know, is—” Kenny paused, looking at Stan with a raised eyebrow—“Bi?”

“Yeah, I—”

“He’s bi, and he’s dating me, and we are _really_ enjoying ourselves, if ya get me. Myself specifically, as you can tell just by looking at how damn _hot_ he is. Y’all already know he’s the most gorgeous person you’ve ever seen. But what some of you may not know is that he’s so funny and super creative and smart and witty and strong and he can play a couple instruments, he has such a good taste in music, he’s very good at Call of Duty, and he’s the most awesome person I’ve ever met and we will hopefully continue dating for a while! Anyways, thank you for your time, and please keep savin’ those pups and kittens, doin’ God’s work.”

Kenny shot the very perplexed and entertain employees finger guns and clicked his tongue before hooking an arm around the completely frozen Stan and guided him back outside. Once out from under the scrutiny and back into the freezing temperature, Kenny questioned, “When’s your break over?”

Stan did not answer the question and instead stared blankly at Kenny. Never in his entire life had anyone done anything like that for him—in fact, a girlfriend in college once was legitimately ashamed of him and would not allow him to meet her parents while they were visiting. His ocean eyes became cloudy, and a smile began to play across his lips. He verbalized his disbelief, “Did you really just do that?”

Kenny smiled brightly, all gapped teeth and dimples. “Hell yeah. I’ll do it again if you let me take you out to dinner tonight.”

The pounding of his heart was caused by feelings of joy for the first time all week. Looking down at Kenny and soaking in his fearless declaration of their relationship caused every part of him to buzz. “I can’t—I don’t understand why you’d even want to be with me after how I acted—”

“Seriously, baby, you gotta stop doing that,” Kenny sighed, reached out to grab both of Stan’s hands. “I understand I can be a lot all at once. The fact that you wanted to impress me and you don’t want me to just go away… that’s new for me, too. But let me tell you, you are the only person that could ever make me feel this way. Let me keep proving it to you.”

Stan could cry at how incredible it felt to be assured like this—he was positive he would scare Kenny away with a perfect example of his tendency to downward spiral. Instead it only made the blond more affectionate and kind.

Unable to contain his feelings anymore, Stan dragged Kenny forward by his hands and snaked his arms around his middle. He pulled him close and pressed their lips together. A slow, passionate kiss took place perhaps in full view of his undoubtedly still confused and amused coworkers, but he could not care less. Kissing Kenny seemed like the most prudent task of his entire life—and was definitely his favorite thing to do.

They withdrew after a moment, breathing heavy with the weight of their admiration for one another. Stan sighed, “I’m so, so sorry for ghosting you, Ken… I wish I would have just called you.”

Kenny shook his head and stole another chaste kiss. “Don’t even think on it. Just look at where we’re going, okay?”

Feeling extremely grateful and accepted, Stan agreed with a quick nod and another long, sweet kiss. Kenny latched onto him and smoothed the hair on the snap of his neck as the push and pull of their lips made him dizzy with lust and elation. When they drew away again, Stan whispered, “I should probably go back in.”

Kenny nodded in agreement and kissed him with finality before untangling himself. “I need to go sleep before I die. I gotta prepare myself for our _reunion_ tonight.”

Stan bit a lip and hummed. “I'm sorry you came right after a shift... but I will definitely be thinking about it all day.”

Kenny shook his head. “Nah, you’re gonna be thinking about how embarrassing I am all day. Don’t lie.”

“That’s a good point,” Stan conceded with a sigh, feeling unprepared to deal with the fallout of Kenny’s dramatic public declaration. “Maybe I’ll just ask for the rest of the day off…”

Kenny laughed. “You’re more than welcome to come take a nap with me.”

Stan smiled. “That actually sounds amazing.”

“Go get out of work, then.” Kenny nodded to the door of the establishment.

Stan quickly pecked Kenny’s lips before bustling back into the animal shelter. Kenny preoccupied himself with a cigarette and happy thoughts and feelings swirling around his head and chest. He was immensely grateful that their confrontation did not end in the complete cut off of contact as he was worried it would, and even more grateful to experience the taste that Stan’s lips allowed once again, and the ability to be in his presence. The temporary disconnection solidified how badly he wanted to be around Stan always.

It felt like the beginning of something truly great—and would hopefully lead to even more dogs.


End file.
